"or been severely injured. Survivors face charges and stiff fines, as it is illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the falls. In 1918, there was a near disaster when a barge, known locally as the Niagara Scow, working upriver broke its tow, and almost plunged over the falls. The two workers on board saved themselves by grounding the vessel on rocks just short of the falls, where it has remained ever since. Englishman Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel, drowned in 1883 trying to swim the rapids downriver from"
"through the Whirlpool Rapids on the Niagara River below Niagara Falls, a feat many observers considered suicidal. Although Webb failed in an attempt at raising interest in funding the event, on 24 July 1883, he jumped into the river from a small boat located near the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge and began his swim. Accounts of the time indicate that in all likelihood Webb successfully survived the first part of the swim, but died in the section of the river located near the entrance to the whirlpool. Webb was interred in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, New York. In 1909, Webb's"
"Darwin Award for his death. Charles Stephens (daredevil) Charles Stephens or Demon Barber of Bedminster (1862 – 11 July 1920) was an English barber and daredevil. Stephens was the first person to die attempting to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. He is also the third person and second man to attempt this stunt. A barber living and working in Bristol, Stephens started performing stunts to support his family, which included his wife, Annie, and their 11 children. Charles moved to Ferndale in the Rhondda Valleys where he worked as a barber. After calling the stunt a ""cool commercial"
"in 1923 for the longest time to make the crossing successfully. Henry Sullivan (swimmer) Henry Sullivan (born c. 1893) was an American marathon swimmer who is best known for becoming the third person and the first American to swim across the English Channel, beginning his swim on the afternoon of August 5, 1923, from Dover, England and finishing 27 hours and 25 minutes later on the evening of August 6 at Calais, France. The son of a businessman from Lowell, Massachusetts, Sullivan had been swimming since he was eight years old. He first attempted to make the crossing in 1913,"
"Henry Sullivan (swimmer) Henry Sullivan (born c. 1893) was an American marathon swimmer who is best known for becoming the third person and the first American to swim across the English Channel, beginning his swim on the afternoon of August 5, 1923, from Dover, England and finishing 27 hours and 25 minutes later on the evening of August 6 at Calais, France. The son of a businessman from Lowell, Massachusetts, Sullivan had been swimming since he was eight years old. He first attempted to make the crossing in 1913, two years after Thomas William Burgess became the second person to"
"Charles Stephens (daredevil) Charles Stephens or Demon Barber of Bedminster (1862 – 11 July 1920) was an English barber and daredevil. Stephens was the first person to die attempting to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. He is also the third person and second man to attempt this stunt. A barber living and working in Bristol, Stephens started performing stunts to support his family, which included his wife, Annie, and their 11 children. Charles moved to Ferndale in the Rhondda Valleys where he worked as a barber. After calling the stunt a ""cool commercial proposition"", Stephens went over the"
"Samuel Gilbert Scott Samuel Gilbert ""Sam"" Scott (c. 1813 – January 11, 1841) was an American daredevil who was killed performing a stunt at Waterloo Bridge in London, England. Scott was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served in the United States Navy, where he became well known for jumping off the masts of Navy vessels. Upon leaving the Navy he became a professional stuntman, passing the hat for contributions after his performances. Scott performed stunts in Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia and on the St. Lawrence River. He dived from a precipice near Niagara Falls, reported in newspapers as a 593-foot jump,"
"Horace Davenport Horace Davenport (29 April 1850 - 23 January 1925) was an English swimmer, known for endurance swims. In 1881, he also swam the Niagara River below Niagara Falls. Davenport was born in London in 1850 to Cecilia and John Thistlewood Davenport. He swam at University College School, and also competed in rowing after leaving school. In 1874 he won the mile Amateur Championship swim, and successfully defended his title through 1879. His 1877 mile time of 29 minutes 25 seconds stood as a record for a number of years. He also won the amateur long distance championship (a"
"Bill Burgess Thomas William Burgess (15 June 1872 – 2 July 1950) was the second person to successfully complete a swim of the English Channel after Matthew Webb. He performed the feat on 6 September 1911, on his 16th attempt. British by nationality, Burgess spent most of his life in France, and won a bronze medal with the French water polo team at the 1900 Olympics. Burgess was born at 7 Lyndhurst Place, Rotherham, to Alfred Burgess, a blacksmith from Youlgreave, Derbyshire, and Camilla Anna Peat, a cook from Harthill, South Yorkshire. He had a younger sister, Winifred Edith Burgess,"
"Enrique Tirabocchi Enrique Tirabocchi (variously spelled as Enrico Tiraboschi) was an Argentinian marathon swimmer who in August 1926 became the fourth person to successfully swim across the English Channel. He was the first person to swim from France to England and finished the swim in 16 hours and 33 minutes, beating the record set by Matthew Webb when he was the first to make the crossing more than 50 years earlier. In a February 1920 attempt to swim from Colonia, Uruguay across the River Plate to Buenos Aires, Tirabocchi set a record by being in the water for 24 hours"
"known for using a single-overarm stroke well-suited for long distance swims, as well as the side-stroke. As of 2013, three trophies offered by the A.S.A. remain in the name of Davenport, including for the 400 metre men's freestyle, 1,500 metre men's freestyle, and 100 metre girl's breastroke. Davenport married Kathleen Henrietta Florence Pirie (1855-1935) in 1873, and they had five daughters and two sons. Horace Davenport Horace Davenport (29 April 1850 - 23 January 1925) was an English swimmer, known for endurance swims. In 1881, he also swam the Niagara River below Niagara Falls. Davenport was born in London in"
"22 h 16 mins. His total number of successful English Channel swims stands at 11, spanning a period from 1969 to 1981. Erikson died of an infection on July 28, 2014 in Boca Raton. He was 59. Jon Erikson Jon Erikson (1954 – July 28, 2014) was an American long distance swimmer who was the first of only four people to have ever completed a three way swim of the English Channel. A physical education teacher at the time, he completed the swim in a time of 38 h 27 mins in 1981. The only other individuals to have completed"
"Bill Borger Bill Borger Jr. (born December 15, 1974) is a Calgary-based businessman, adventurer, and Canadian Chartered Accountant. On September 9, 2000 Borger became the first Calgarian to successfully swim the English Channel. As a part of the English Channel swim Borger raised $100,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association. On May 11, 2011 Borger became the first Canadian to have both swum the English Channel and to have climbed Mt. Everest. The Mt. Everest climb was used to raise funds for the Calgary Handibus Association; for this charity Borger raised $400,000. Borger's website states, as of June 6, 2011"
"the near tragedy over the falls that day or of the heroic actions of a man that would forever hold the title as ""Riverman"". He would make the journey down the Niagara River three more times before his death in 1942 at the age of 54. Hill was not only recognized for his trips down the lower rapids, but also for his love of the river. An avid ""rivers man"", he allegedly pulled over 170 bodies from Niagara's waters. He also participated in many rescue efforts of stranded individuals, saving the lives of 28 people who would have surely drowned"
"in Hyson Green in 1914, Blower was a resident of Nottingham until shortly before his death of a heart attack in 1955, when he resided in Dartmouth. A long distance endurance swimmer, Blower practiced in the River Trent near The Meadows. The son of a miner, Blower was a decorated World War II hero who gained national celebrity for his swimming. Tom Blower Tom Blower (1914–1955) was a British man who on 27–28 July 1947 became the first to successfully swim the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, completing the feat in 15 hours and 26 minutes. In spite of"
"1955 and into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014. Young retired from competitive swimming around 1931. He worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad until the death of his second wife in 1953, and then at the Parks Commission in Niagara Falls until his death in 1972. George Young (swimmer) George Young (3 March 1909 – 6 August 1972) was a Canadian marathon swimmer who on 15–16 January 1927 became the first swimmer to cross the channel between Catalina Island and the mainland of California. This took place during a contest called the Wrigley Ocean Marathon, sponsored by chewing gum"
"Edward Temme Edward Harry Temme (16 September 1904 – 26 June 1977) was an English swimmer and insurance clerk. Temme was the first man to swim across the English Channel both ways, from France to England on 5 August 1927 and from England to France on 18 August 1934. He was also a water polo player who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Temme was born in Stratford Road, Plaistow, Essex (now part of east London). He was a member of the British water polo team that finished fourth at the"
"Nathan Boya Nathan Boya (real name William Fitzgerald) was the first African American to go over Niagara Falls. Very little is known about Fitzgerald. He claimed to be self-employed, but others have claimed he worked for IBM. On July 15, 1961, Fitzgerald went over the Horseshoe Falls in a metal ball he helped design called the ""Plunge-O-Sphere"". Performing stunts on the Falls could only be performed with permission, following the death of William Hill, Jr in 1951. Fitzgerald did not obtain a permit to do his stunt and was arrested and fined after completing it. After the flurry of appearances"
"in his early 40s became the third person to survive an unprotected trip over the Horseshoe Falls. Eyewitness reports show he ""deliberately jumped"" into the Niagara River after climbing over a railing. Other daredevils have made crossing the gorge their goal, starting with the successful passage by Jean François ""Blondin"" Gravelet, who crossed Niagara Gorge in 1859. Between 1859 and 1896 a wire-walking craze emerged, resulting in frequent feats over the river below the falls. One inexperienced walker slid down his safety rope. Only one man fell to his death, at night and under mysterious circumstances, at the anchoring place"
"Tom Blower Tom Blower (1914–1955) was a British man who on 27–28 July 1947 became the first to successfully swim the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, completing the feat in 15 hours and 26 minutes. In spite of multiple attempts by others, the North Channel would not be successfully crossed by a swimmer again until 12 September 1970, when it was accomplished by Kevin Murphy. Blower also swam the English Channel several times, with a personal best speed of 13 hours and 29 minutes in 1937 that set a new record, shaving the previous best by 23 minutes. Born"
"later rescues. In 1926, while on a publicity tour in New Zealand, Leach injured his leg when he slipped on an orange peel. The leg became infected, and eventually gangrene necessitated the amputation of the leg. Despite this extreme procedure, Bobby Leach died of complications two months later. Bobby Leach Bobby Leach (1858 – April 26, 1926) was the second person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, after Annie Taylor, accomplishing the feat on July 25, 1911. He spent six months in the hospital recovering from injuries he sustained during the fall, which included two broken knee caps"
"Niagara Falls, New York. He photographed Joseph Avery on July 17, 1853 holding onto a log in the rapids above the falls. Avery was one of three men who lost their boat in the current. As the boat capsized, two of the men went over the falls and died, but Avery was able to hold on to a log pinned amongst rocks for 18 hours before succumbing after a series of failed rescue attempts. Babbitt continued in business until his death in 1879. His work includes glass stereo view images. Newspaper accounts report that he also made diapositive ""window hanger"""
"Bridge leap was Larry Donovan, who jumped the month after Brodie claimed to have done so. Robert Emmet Odlum never married. He lived with his mother and sister for much of his adult life. Robert Emmet Odlum Robert Emmet Odlum (August 31, 1851 – May 19, 1885) was an American swimming instructor. Odlum was the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, and was killed doing so. Robert Emmet Odlum was born in Ogdensburg, New York, on August 31, 1851, the son of Catherine and Richard Odlum. He was named after the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet. Odlum was one"
"contracted malaria at Lower Cedar Point, contracted it again while at the Hygeia Hotel. Odlum was a friend of Matthew Webb, who died in 1883 in an attempt to swim through the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara Falls. On May 19, 1885, Odlum became the first person to jump into the East River from the Brooklyn Bridge that connects Manhattan, New York City and Brooklyn. His motivations for doing so included the desire to demonstrate that people did not die simply from falling through the air, thus encouraging people to be willing to jump from a burning building into a net."
"Mayor Jimmy Walker. She died in Croton on Hudson, New York, on 26 May 1982. Amelia Gade Corson Amelia ""Mille"" Gade Corson (11 February 1897 – 1 May 1982) was a Danish-born American long-distance swimmer who is best known as becoming the seventh person, third American and second woman to successfully swim across the English Channel. Earlier, Corson had completed the swim around Manhattan Island, a distance of 42 miles, and had also completed the swim from Albany, New York to New York City, swimming the distance in a total of 5 days, 3 hours and 11.5 minutes. The straight-line"
"1961. Brojen was detected to have cancer in June 1997. He went to Calcutta, India, for treatment, and died there on 1 June 1998. His funeral was held at Postagola cremation site in Dhaka on 3 June 1998. Brojen Das Brojen Das (9 December 1927 – 1 June 1998) was a Bengali swimmer, who was the first Asian to swim across the English Channel, and the first person to cross it six times. Brojen was born in the Kuchiamora village of Bikrampur, Bangladesh. His father was Harendra Kumar Das. He completed the matriculation exam in 1946 from KL Jubilee High"
"Jon Erikson Jon Erikson (1954 – July 28, 2014) was an American long distance swimmer who was the first of only four people to have ever completed a three way swim of the English Channel. A physical education teacher at the time, he completed the swim in a time of 38 h 27 mins in 1981. The only other individuals to have completed this feat are Philip Rush and Alison Streeter Erikson also completed a two way crossing of the English Channel in 1975 in a time of 30 h 00 mins and again in 1979 in a time of"
"Stephen Peer Stephen Peer (1840-1887) was a tightrope walker who, though he completed the feat successfully many times, fell to his death while walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls. Peer had decided to become a tight rope walker when he was 19 years old, inspired by Blondin who had performed the trick over Niagara Falls. Peer had been born and raised in the Stamford Township and wanted to be the first local resident to successfully cross the falls on a tight rope. Peer became an assistant to Henry Bellini in 1873, but that ended when Peer attempted to use Bellini's"
"after he passed out and did not immediately revive. Brickner had been in the water well over 24 hours by that point. He was about to attempt a third time after several months of training, but the authorities governing the channel called the event off because of inclement conditions. Gus Brickner's fame was not merely for his repeated attempts to swim the English Channel; he holds 2 world records for extreme swimming in the Guinness Book of World Records. Both may never be duplicated, but one in particular will definitely not. His official logged swimming distance is truly superhuman: 38,500"
"swim the English Channel in 1927. She made another attempt on August 23, 1935. She won the 1935 Dover Trophy with a time of 15 hours and 55 minutes for the 18-mile swim from Folkestone to Margate. On 9 October 1941 she was in a car accident in Wiscasset, Maine that killed Michael Tonely, her swimming coach and trainer. Mr. Tonely is the gentleman sitting in the middle of the boat of the accompanying Library of Congress photograph. She died on March 17, 1985 in Brockton, Massachusetts. Eva Morrison Eva Belle Morrison Abdou (March 8, 1911 – March 17, 1985)"
"Barrie Devenport John William Barrie Devenport (7 October 1935 – 25 July 2010, often mistakenly reported as ""Barrie Davenport"") was a New Zealand swimmer and lifesaver who was the first person in modern history to swim Cook Strait. Devenport was born in Wellington on 7 October 1935. On 20 November 1962, at the age of 27, he swam from Cape Terawhiti in the North Island to Wellington Rock in the South Island in 11 hours, 13 minutes. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He died in 2010 on the Gold Coast, Australia, after"
"Cindy Nicholas Cynthia Maria ""Cindy"" Nicholas, (August 20, 1957 – May 19, 2016) was a long distance swimmer and a politician in Ontario, Canada. In 1977 she became the first woman to complete a two-way crossing of the English Channel. From 1987 to 1990 she was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Nicholas was educated at the University of Toronto and the University of Windsor. She worked as a lawyer in Scarborough, Ontario. She had a daughter. She died from liver cancer on May 19, 2016. At age 16 she attained provincial fame by swimming across Lake"
"an 18-month battle with cancer. Barrie Devenport John William Barrie Devenport (7 October 1935 – 25 July 2010, often mistakenly reported as ""Barrie Davenport"") was a New Zealand swimmer and lifesaver who was the first person in modern history to swim Cook Strait. Devenport was born in Wellington on 7 October 1935. On 20 November 1962, at the age of 27, he swam from Cape Terawhiti in the North Island to Wellington Rock in the South Island in 11 hours, 13 minutes. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He died in 2010 on"